The two hardest tests on the
spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage
not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” —Paulo Coelho
I planned to travel to
Chardham 15 years ago with my family and booked tickets but canceled it one day
before the journey due to unforeseen events. I planned many times to tour
Chardham and every time I encountered obstacles. Fortunately, I booked tickets
20 days before the tour and finally left for Chardham in May 2019.
Before my wife and I
proceeded, I searched online about the journey and discussed with a few of my
friends who visited there. Chardham consists of four religious places
Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath (this is the ideal route to
follow). They are the sacred shrines for the Hindus. Many people have their
lifetime ambition to visit them but only a few make it. It is believed that people
can visit these places only when Gods invite them wholeheartedly. Additionally,
the holy shrines of Chardham open every year with the advent of summers in
April-May and close with the starting of winter months October-November. The
registration is essential to reach there.
We reached Haridwar on May
14, 2019, in the evening and stayed in a hotel in the night.
On 15 May 2019, We boarded a
bus and reached Dharaju. We went by taxi to Barkot and proceeded to Jankichetti.
We stayed in the hotel in the night.
On 16 May 2019, we trekked
for 6 kilometers to Yamunotri which took 3 hours approximately. We bathed in
natural hot water. We were truly excited with the Goddess and trekked back to Jankichetti
which took two hours approximately. We trekked a total of 5 hours. We left the
hotel and went by taxi to Barkot and to Uttarkashi. We stayed in a hotel for
two days and visited Viswanath temple. It was a great experience. We were
fortunate to visit the temple three times in three days.
On 17 May 2019, we went to
Gangotri by taxi and bathed in cool water. We stood in the queue for three
hours and had darshan with the Goddess and returned to Uttarkashi in the
evening.
On 18 May 2019, we visited
other temples in the early morning in the Uttarkashi. We proceeded to Srinagar
(don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir) by bus and Rudraprayag. We
went by taxi to Guptkashi and finally to Sonprayag. We found very difficult to get
accommodation everywhere due to heavy inflow of tourists. Finally, we managed
to get beds and stayed in night.
On 19 May 2019, we went by taxi
in the early morning to Gouri Kund which is around 5 kilometers from Sonprayag
and trekked to Kedarnath which is 17 kilometers one way. It was the toughest
trekking in our life. We reached Kedarnath in the evening. My wife felt giddiness
on the way. The Prime Minister of India visited Kedarnath on the same day. It
is a rare coincidence. We prayed to Lord Siva and had free food (prasadam) near
the temple. The climate changed abruptly due to sudden wind and rain. We had to
stay in the night but we found it very difficult to get accommodation. Somehow
we managed to get dormitory by paying more money and stayed in the night.
On 20 May 2019, we got up
early morning and trekked back to Gouri Kund which took six and a half hour. We
went by taxi to Sonprayag and checked out of the room. We reached Guptkashi by
taxi and found it challenging as it rained suddenly. The accommodation was not
available. I had to climb stairs for a long distance to find a hotel beside
Viswanath temple. We stayed one night and prayed at Viswanath temple. We purchased
prasadam to distribute to our neighbors and religious items as I have the
practice of gifting to others.
On 21 May 2019, we vacated
the room early in the morning and went by taxi to Gopeshwar and visited the
temple. We went to Chamoli by taxi and proceeded to Joshimath and Badrinath by
changing taxis. I had to search for accommodation. It was again a tough
challenge. Fortunately, we got accommodation in a hotel Gita Mandir from
where we can view the temple directly. We went to the temple and bathed in hot
water and stood in the queue for five hours and had the darshan. We prayed to
God and returned the room.
On 22 May 2019, we left
Badrinath early in the morning by bus and reached Haridwar in the evening. We
got two seats at the last row and there were bumps throughout the journey and our
bodies pained heavily. We stayed one night in the Haridwar.
On 23 May 2019, we went to
New Delhi by train visited Red Fort and did shopping. There were sudden wind
and rain. We rushed back to the hotel quickly. Whenever I go to New Delhi, I
visit Red Fort regularly. It is the most inspiring place for me. I lived in New
Delhi in 1983 when I served in the Indian Air Force.
On 24 May 2019, we visited
India Gate, War Memorial, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Connaught Place, and did shopping
in Palika Bazar, and finally reached the hotel. We vacated the hotel in the
evening and boarded the train to reach our home.
Here is the route we followed
during the Chardham Yatra: Haridwar (stayed one night), Dharaju, Barkot, Janikichetti
(stayed one night) Yamunotri, Barkot, Uttarkashi (stayed two nights) Gangotri,
Uttarkashi, Srinagar (don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir),
Rudraprayag, Guptkashi, Sonprayag (stayed one night) Gowri Kund, Kedarnath (stayed
one night), Gowri Kund, Sonprayag, Guptkashi (stayed one night) Gopeshwar, Chamoli,
Joshimath, Badrinath (stayed one night) Haridwar (stayed one night) and New
Delhi (stayed one night).
Tips
for Chardham Tour
“Never lose an opportunity of
seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.” —Ralph Waldo
Emerson
Here are some steps to
consider for Chardham Yatra. Carry lightweight. Remember that less luggage is
more comfortable. Carry medicines as the entire route is full of hills. Be
prepared for high altitude sickness. Carry chocolates to chew if you feel
vomiting sensation. It is essential to do registration for this tour and there
are some points to register. You must carry your identity card of each person
to register for the tour. Traveling is not ideal in the night. The roads are
very narrow and the work is going on at a fast pace in some areas to widen the
roads. Accommodation is available as per your budget but it is advisable to
book it online in advance to avoid nightmares. Limited buses are available at
scheduled timings. You can go by taxis by sharing or hire a taxi. Keep cash
with you as ATM counters are very few and run out cash quickly. It is ideal to
travel in the month of May as the rain may start in other months.
Conclusion
“Faith is not the clinging to
a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.” —Abraham Joshua Heschel
We encountered several
challenges during the journey due to lack of accommodation. We did not like to
go by the travel agent as we are adventurous and I am confident of traveling independently
due to my years of experiences in the Indian Air Force. We found the people of
Uttarakhand very warm and friendly. Most of them are helpful to tourists and
guide them properly.
It was the toughest tour in
our life but we were excited with the tour. It was the most memorable tour of
our life. We enjoy traveling and traveled many parts of India. With the visit
of Chardham successfully, we completed traveling most of the places in India.
“Take only memories, leave
only footprints.” —Chief Seattle
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